Devon Emrick is easy to spot on a football field – and not just because he’s 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, although that does weigh into it. What really stands out with the senior defensive tackle is his passion for the game and the joy he gets just being on the football field.
There is the saying about a kid in a candy store. Well, the football field is Emrick’s candy store and he certainly plays the game with the joy of a kid.
“I have a great time on the football field,” says Emrick, who gets excited just talking about how excited he gets playing football. “Me and the boys just love to go out there and shut the other team down. We like to run around and hit people. We love talking to each other. We don’t even talk to the other team because we are always talking to each other. And when the crowd gets loud, we just get wild out there. It’s joy and happiness on that field. It’s so much fun playing football with your friends.”
Dexter trounced Milford last week in the first round of the postseason and host South Lyon on Friday night in round two. The goal is Ford Field and a Division 2 state championship, but the focus right now is South Lyon.
“We believe that the only team that can beat us is us,” he says. “We work really hard during the week, in practice and in the film room. We game plan against the other team’s offense and our scout team has really stepped up to help us get ready for the next game. What we do and how we prepare has been pretty much the same. The intensity might be getting a little higher the further we go along.”
Emrick says the win over Saline took the confidence to another level. Beating a ranked-team and state powerhouse from Division 1 was huge. “We really needed that,” he said. “We knew we were good but we proved it in that game and then took it to another level by beating Chelsea.”
Emrick has been a force all season on the defensive line for the Dreadnaughts but has really taken his play to another level later in the season. As the games have gotten more important, he has stepped up and been an even bigger disruptive force in the middle of the action.
Emrick has 34 tackles, including 14 for loss with half of those coming in the last two games. He had a team-high nine tackles (four for loss) in the win over Milford on Friday night. In the win over Chelsea, he had eight tackles, including four for loss, as the Dreadnaughts allowed just 38 yards on the ground and 54 yards through the air to the Bulldogs.
The entire defense was simply dominant in Friday’s playoff-opening win against Milford. Sophomore linebacker Owen Wondrash had seven tackles. Micah Davis, Brendon Valerio, Nate Baughman and Niko Michos all had six tackles apiece. Davis, Noah Pitts and Davis Taylor all caught passes – from the other quarterback – in the game.
Emrick says the defense has been good all season because they play for each other and not for themselves. “We knew we were going to be something special,” he said. “There was a time we didn’t all get along but with maturity we have grown as people and football players. We have learned to work together and as a team and now we’re brothers. We look out for each other.”
Emrick played JV as a freshman and played both offense and defense. He got called up to varsity for the playoffs but didn’t play. He started on defense as a sophomore and as a junior, although he missed three games last year because of injury. He also had knee surgery over the winter but returned to football two months ahead of time because of his hard work.
Emrick says he’s not surprised at all that Dexter went undefeated in the regular season and appear to be the team to beat in the playoffs.
“The way we started to prepare right after the last game last season, I’m not surprised at all that we are undefeated,” he said. “Last year people didn’t give us any credit and said all you have to do is outscore Dexter. Our new defensive line coach (Mark Marlatt) came in and said let’s show people they can’t push us around anymore.”
Of course, Emrick wants to keep playing football and would love the chance to play college football. He’s getting a few offers but wants to wait until after the season to figure out the next chapter in his life. Right now, he’s enjoying turning the pages on what could be a fairy tale season for Dexter football – and loving every second of it.
